COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT […] Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee on the implementation by the Member States of Council Directive 2006/117/EURATOM on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel Third Report
Date: 2019-12-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, application of EU law, cross-border transport, export of waste, nuclear fuel, nuclear safety, radioactive waste, transport of dangerous goods

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.12.2019  SWD(2019) 437 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT […] Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee on the implementation by the Member States of Council Directive 2006/117/EURATOM on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel         Third Report  {COM(2019) 633 final}  
 
 
Contents 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS…………………………………………..……2 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

3.5. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

4.6  

4.7  

4.8  

5. 

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 2 

GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR SHIPMENT OF SPENT FUEL AND 
RADIOACTIVE WASTE ............................................................................................ 3 

STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS ................. 6 

Transposition of the Directive ...................................................................................... 6 

Standard document for the supervision and control of shipments ............................... 6 

Competent authorities .................................................................................................. 7 

Transmission ................................................................................................................ 7 

Regular reports ............................................................................................................. 7 

SHIPMENTS OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT FUEL IN 2015-2017 ..... 8 

Overview of authorised shipments ............................................................................... 8 

Intra-Community shipments (MM type) .................................................................... 10 

Extra-Community shipments (exports and imports) .................................................. 11 

Inconsistencies in the reporting .................................................................................. 15 

Issues reported by Member States when using the standard document ..................... 16 

Information on significant conditions required by the Member States for shipment– 
and export criteria implementation ............................................................................ 16 

Information on significant cases of refusal to give authorisation/consent ................. 17 

Member States reporting to the Joint Convention...................................................... 18 

HIGHLIGHTS ........................................................................................................... 19 

ANNEX I .................................................................................................................................. 21 

1 

 
 
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION  

The  present  Staff  Working  Document  (SWD)  is  prepared  in  support  of  the  Commission's  third 
report to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee 
(COM(2019)633) on the implementation of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom1 on supervision 
and control of shipments of spent fuel and radioactive waste by the Member States in the 2015-
2017  (26.12.2014  to  25.12.2017)  period.  It  is  based  on  the  latest  national  reports  from  Member 
States to the Commission on the implementation of the Directive due by December 2017.  

According to Article 20, Member States have to report every three years to  the Commission on 
the  implementation  of  the  Directive.  On  the  basis  of  national  reports  the  Commission  shall,  in 
accordance  with  the  procedure  laid  down  in  Article  21  (Advisory  Committee),  establish  a 
summary report for the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social 
Committee. In its report the Commission shall pay particular attention to the implementation of 
Article 4 on reshipment related to non-authorised shipments and undeclared radioactive waste. 

The overall purpose of this document (SWD) is to provide various stakeholders with information 
on  current  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  shipments,  and their  supervision  and control  for  the 
purpose of adequate protection of the population. This document provides also an overview and 
specific information on authorisations for import, export and transit issued by Member States and 
summarises the feedback from the Member States in implementing the Directive.  

All  EU  Member  States  produce  radioactive  waste  from  numerous  activities  including  energy 
production,  research,  industrial  and  medical  applications.  In  addition,  those  Member  States 
operating nuclear power plants and research reactors also generate spent fuel. Spent fuel can be 
either  considered  as  radioactive  waste  or,  in  a  "closed  fuel  cycle",  reprocessed  in  the  Member 
State  of  origin  or  abroad  for  further  use2,3,4.  This  report  covers  both  spent  fuel  and  radioactive 
waste import to, transit through and export from the Community. 
As of 2016, nuclear energy accounts for 28.1 % of the production5 of energy in the EU. Fourteen 
Member  States6  are  operating  126  nuclear  power  reactors  in  the  Community  and  three  Member 
States  (Finland,  France  and  Slovakia)  have  construction  projects  for  new-built  nuclear  power 
plants  ongoing6.  Another  eight  Member  States  are  in  the  pre-project  phase  for  building  new 
nuclear power plants (United Kingdom, Hungary, Poland, etc.) or planning to build new units. 

Most Member States that currently operate nuclear power plants are aiming for lifetime extension. 
Poland is not a nuclear power plant operator today but has expressed its intention to potentially 
develop nuclear power plants in the near future. In the EU, as of January 2018, 93 nuclear power 
plants7  were  in  final  shutdown  in  11  Member  States  and  some  of  these  Member  States  have 

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  
6  

7  

of 

spent 

nuclear 

Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  of  20  November  2006  on  the  supervision  and  control  of  shipments  of 
radioactive waste and spent fuel, OJ 337, 5.12.2006, p 21-32. 
Communication  from  the  Commission  Nuclear  Illustrative  Programme  presented  under  Article  40  of  the  Euratom 
Treaty for the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee{SWD(2016) 102 final}.  
For  an  overview  on  this  topic,  the  European  Commission  together  with  EASAC  have  issued  in  2014  the  report 
"Management 
at 
and 
http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC84826/jrc-report-anagement-spent-fuel-and-waste.pdf 
(Doi:10.2760/25402). 
Status and Trends report in spent fuel and radioactive waste management, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series NW-T-1.14, 
https://www.iaea.org/publications/11173/status-and-trends-in-spent-fuel-and-radioactive-waste-management. 
EU energy in figures, statistical pocketbook 2018, ISBN 978-92-79-88735-2. 
The 14 Member States that have nuclear power reactors in operation are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, 
Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Croatia 
does  not  have  a  nuclear  power  plant  within  its  own  national  borders,  but  co-owns  with  Slovenia  the  Krško  power 
plant). 
Information from the IAEA “Power Reactor Information System”, https://pris.iaea.org/Home/Pris.asp. 

waste" 

found 

fuel 

that 

can 

be 

its 

2 

 
 
                                                           
already some reactors in decommissioning stage and/or in preparation for decommissioning. Only 
three reactors have been decommissioned so far, all of which are in Germany.  
In  addition,  19  Member  States8  have  research  reactors  at  different  stages  of  their  lifecycle  – 
operational, shutdown or under decommissioning. Subject to the reactor design Member States are 
often depending on supply of nuclear fuel and return of spent fuel to countries external to the EU 
(e.g.  Russia,  USA).  In  most  cases  there  is  also  an  arrangement  for  return  of  spent  fuel  to  the 
supplier,  which  is  covered  both  by  the  provision  of  this  Directive  and  through  Directive 
2011/70/Euratom9. 

In  addition,  some  of  the  fuel  cycle  facilities,  e.g.  uranium  mines,  fuel  fabrication  plants  and 
reprocessing  plants  came  to  the  end  of  their  lifecycle  or  were  closed  and  are  under 
decommissioning and/or remediation.  

All above described activities are generating radioactive waste and/or spent fuel, and shipments 
of  these  materials  occur  between  Member  States,  as  well  as  exports  and  imports  between  the 
Community and third countries. The transport of these materials is due to available capacities for 
processing  or  reprocessing  (hence  minimisation  of  waste)  and/or  need  for  safe  long  term 
management  (i.e.  disposal).  It  is  of  utmost  importance  for  the  European  Union  that  radioactive 
waste  and  spent  fuel  is  managed  (including  transportation)  in  a  safe,  responsible  and  effective 
way, under the supervision of the national competent authorities. 

The management of radioactive waste and spent fuel is subject to legal requirements with the aim 
to ensure the highest standards of safety and protection of workers and the general public. These 
requirements stem from both international and EU law. At European Union (EU) level, the Basic 
Safety Standards Directive 2013/59/Euratom10 (that was to be transposed by  Member States by 
February  2018)  has  an  overall  objective  to  enhance  the  protection  against  the  dangers  arising 
from exposure to ionizing radiation. It repeals and consolidates in a single piece of legislation the 
provisions  of  five  EU  Directives,  including  the  High-Activity  Sealed  Sources  Directive11.  In 
compliance  with  the  latter  Directive,  EU  Member  States  have  established  national  electronic 
registries  for  radioactive  sources  and  source  holders,  protected  against  unauthorized  access. 
Building  on  that  the  new  Directive  2013/59/Euratom  also  includes  requirements  for  the 
management  of  orphan  sources  and  contaminated  scrap  metal,  as  well  as  on  management  of 
material containing naturally occurring radionuclides (NORM). 

Within the scope of this comprehensive EU framework, Directive 2006/117/Euratom specifically 
addresses transboundary shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel, laying down a system of 
supervision and control for import to, transit through and export from the Community aiming at 
adequate protection of EU population. 

2. 

GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  FOR  SHIPMENT  OF  SPENT  FUEL  AND 
RADIOACTIVE WASTE 

Directive  2006/117/Euratom  applies  to  shipment  of  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste  whenever 
the country of origin, the country of destination or any country of transit is an EU Member State. 
It requires that Member States involved in the shipment (State of origin, State of destination and 

8  
9  

10  

11 

The Spanish research reactors have been all decommissioned. 
Council  Directive  2011/70/Euratom  of  19  July  2011  establishing  a  Community  framework  for  the  responsible  and 
safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste.  
Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying  down basic safety standards  for  protection against 
the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 
96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom, OJ L 13, 17.1.2014, p.1. 
Council Directive 2003/122/Euratom of 22 December 2003 on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources 
and orphan sources. 

3 

 
 
                                                           
transit States) are informed about any planned shipments on their territories, and shall either give 
their consent or a reasoned refusal to these shipments. 

Under Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom, each Member State should remain fully responsible 
for the choice of its own policy on the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel within its 
jurisdiction. The Directive should therefore be without prejudice to the right of Member States to 
export  their  spent  fuel  for  reprocessing  or  radioactive  waste  for  processing.  Also  nothing  in  its 
provisions  implies  that  a  Member  State  of  destination  has  to  accept  shipments  of  radioactive 
waste and spent fuel for final treatment or disposal, except in the case of reshipment (return to the 
country of origin). However, any refusal needs to be justified on the basis of the criteria set out in 
the  Directive.  They  should  not  be  arbitrary  and  should  be  founded  on  relevant  national, 
Community  or  international  law.  Moreover,  in  line  with  the  provisions  set  by  the  Joint 
Convention  on  the  Safety  of  Spent  Fuel  Management  and  on  the  Safety  of  Radioactive  Waste 
Management  (further  the  Joint  Convention),  the  Directive  prohibits  the  export  of  radioactive 
waste or spent fuel to a destination south of latitude 60° south, to African, Caribbean or Pacific 
countries or to a third country which does not have the resources to manage it safely. 

For intra-Community shipments, whenever an entity which, under the applicable national law, is 
responsible for the radioactive waste or spent fuel (i.e. holder12) plans to carry out a shipment, it 
has to submit a duly completed application to the competent authorities of the Member State of 
origin13. 

Imports  from  third  countries  into  the  Community  also  require  the  consignee  (i.e.  any  natural  or 
legal person to whom radioactive waste or spent fuel is shipped)  to submit an application to the 
competent  authorities  of  the  Member  State  of  destination14.  Concerning  exports  outside  the  EU 
borders, the holder shall submit an application for authorisation to the competent authorities of the 
Member State of origin and then the competent authorities in the Member State of origin must ask 
the relevant authorities of the country of destination and countries of transit for their consents15. 

As regards transits of radioactive waste and spent fuel through the Community originating from 
and destined to a third country, the entity responsible for the safe management of the material in 
the  first  Member  State  of  transit  shall  submit  an  application  for  authorisation  to  the  competent 
authorities of that Member State16. 

Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom sets requirements for the use of a standard document for the 
supervision  and control  of  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  (further  referred  to  as 
“standard document”), and the establishment of criteria for intra-Community shipments, imports 
from  outside  the  EU,  exports  from  Member  States  to  third  countries  and  transits  within  the 
Community.  The  standard  document  adopted  with  a  Commission  Decision  in  200817 
acknowledges different types of shipments reflected in the "Type Code" graphically presented in 
Figure 1 and summarised in Table 1. 

12  

13  
14  
15  
16  
17  

Any  natural  or  legal  person  who,  before  carrying  out  a  shipment  of  radioactive  waste  or  spent  fuel  is  responsible 
under the applicable national law for such materials and plans to carry out a shipment to a consignee.  
See Article 6 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom. 
See Article 13 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom. 
See Article 15 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom. 
See Article 14 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom. 
Commission  Decision  of  5  March  2008  establishing  the  standard  document  for  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  referred  to  in  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  (notified  under 
document number C(2008) 793) (2008/312/Euratom). 

4 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
MM 

MM 

IM 

EU Member 
States 

TT 

MM 

ME 

Table 1. Types of shipments and respective "Type Code” according to the standards 
document of Directive 2006/117/Euratom 

Type of 
Shipment 

Different possibilities for movements  
within, into and out of Community 

Intra 
Community 

Extra 
Community 

 

Import, (for the Member State that consents as destination) 
can  be  associated  with  movement  from  an  EU  Member 
State  to  another  EU  Member  State,  i.e.  internal  EU 
shipment.  

  Export,  (for  the  Member  State  that  authorizes  as  origin) 
can  be  associated  with  movement  from  an  EU  Member 
State  to  another  EU  Member  State,  i.e.  internal  EU 
shipment. 

  Transit, (for the Member State that consents to the transit) 
can be associated with internal EU movement, from an EU 
Member State to another EU Member State.  
Import, from a country external to EU (third country) to an 
EU Member State 

 

  Export, from an EU Member State to a country external to 

EU (third country) 

  Transit,  from  a  country  external  to  EU  to  a  country 
external to EU (third  countries of origin and destination), 
but  the  shipment  going  through  some  EU  Member 
State(s). 

Figure 1. Types of shipments and respective "Type Code" 

Type 
Code 
used 

MM 

IM 

ME  

TT 

The  shipments  of  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste  cannot  take  place  until  the  competent 
authorities  of  the  country  of  destination  and  of  any  country  of  transit  have  notified  the 
competent authorities of the country of origin their consent (or until giving their tacit consent 
according to Article 9(2) of the Directive). 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The competent authorities of the Member State of origin (in case of ME and MM) shall send the 
duly completed application to the competent authorities of the Member State of destination and of 
the Member States of transit (see Article 7 of the Directive). The Directive stipulates a period of 
two months after receipt of the application for notification of consent or refusal. 

The authorisation is issued by competent authority of: 

 
 
 

in case of ME and MM, Member State of origin of the shipment,  
in case of IM, Member State of destination of the shipment,  
in case of TT, the first Member State that the shipment entry in the EU territory. 

The competent authorities in the Member States of transit or destination may add  conditions to 
the  shipments  of  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste.  Nevertheless,  for  shipments  within  the 
Community,  it  is  not  possible  to  lay  down  conditions  which  are  more  stringent  than  those  laid 
down  by  the  national  law  of  a  Member  State  on  the  shipment  of  radioactive  waste  on  its  own 
territory. 

Finally, if the conditions applying to the shipment are not complied with or the shipment cannot 
be  completed,  the  competent  authorities  of  the  Member  State  of  origin  must  ensure  that  the 
radioactive waste and/or spent fuel in question is taken back by the holder, unless an alternative 
safe  arrangement  can  be  made.  The  holder  shall  be  liable  for  costs  arising  in  cases  where  the 
shipment cannot or may not be completed (see Article 12 of the Directive).  

3. 

STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS 

3.1. 

Transposition of the Directive 

All  28  Member  States  completed  the  transposition  of  the  Directive  by  2013  and  notified  their 
transposition  measures.  Transposition  details  for  each  Member  State  are  given  in  the  Staff 
Working Documents of the first18 and second19 reporting period.  

3.2. 

Standard document for the supervision and control of shipments 

Commission  Decision  2008/312/Euratom  established  the  standard  document  to  be  used  by 
EU  Member  States  for  any  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  falling  under  the 
scope of the Directive (thus including imports, exports and transits between Member States 
and  from/to  outside  of  the  Community).  As  amended  in  2011,  the  standard  document 
includes forms for the following purposes: 

  Application for authorisation for shipment of spent fuel or radioactive waste; 
  Acknowledgement  of  receipt  of  application  –  request  for  missing  information  for  spent 

fuel and radioactive waste; 

  Consent  or  refusal  of  radioactive  waste  or  spent  fuel  shipment  by  the  competent 

authorities concerned; 

  Description of radioactive waste consignment and list of packages; 
  Acknowledgement of receipt of radioactive waste and spent fuel; 

18        Commission  Staff  Working  Document  SWD(2013)150  final  "Shipment  Directive"  Accompanying  the  document 
Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  on  the  implementation  by  the  Member  States  of  Council  Directive  2006/117  EURATOM  on  the 
supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuels{COM(2013) 240 final}. 
Commission  Staff  Working  Document  "Shipment  Directive"  Accompanying  the  document  Report  from  the 
Commission  to  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  on  the 
implementation  by  the  Member  States  of  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  on  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuels{COM(2018) 6 final}. 

19  

6 

 
 
                                                           
  Authorisation of shipment of spent fuel and radioactive waste. 

3.3. 

Competent authorities 

Article 5(13) of the Directive defines "competent authorities" as "any authority which, under the 
law or regulations of the countries of origin, transit or destination, are empowered to implement 
the system of supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel". In order to 
facilitate communication between Member States regarding supervision and control of shipments 
of  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste,  by  July  2017  all  Member  States  provided  the  Commission 
with the updated contact details of their competent authority or authorities.  

3.4. 

Transmission 

In  compliance  with  the  requirement  of  Article  19  of  the  Directive,  the  Commission  issued  a 
Recommendation20  for  a  secure  and  effective  system  of  transmission  of  the  documents  and 
information relating to the provisions of the Directive. The Commission has also established an 
electronic  communication  platform  containing  relevant  information  related  to  the  Directive 
(https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/nuclear-energy/radiation-protection/transport-radioactive-
materials).  

The  data  have  been  updated,  where  appropriate,  following  information  transmitted  to  the 
Commission by each Member State as foreseen under Article 19 of the Directive, including the 
contact details of the competent authorities in the Member States. The list of these authorities is 
presented in Annex I and can also be accessed via the Europa website mentioned above. 

3.5. 

Regular reports 

As stated in Article 20, all Member States have to inform the Commission of the implementation 
of  the  Directive.  This  is  done  by  means  of  regular  reports  submitted  by  competent  authorities 
every three years. In order to support Member States in their reporting obligations and ensure a 
certain degree of harmonisation of the information received, the Commission provided Member 
States with a reporting template that they can – but are not obliged to – use for submitting their 
national reports to the European Commission. On the basis of national reports, the Commission is 
due to issue a summary document aimed to inform the European Parliament, the Council and the 
European  Economic  and  Social  Committee.  This  latter  was  drafted  by  the  Commission,  in 
parallel to the present Staff Working Document.  

The  deadline  for  submission  of  national  reports  under  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  was  25 
December 2017. During this third reporting round fewer delays were noted with the respect to the 
previous reporting period. In the current reporting round, only four countries did not submit their 
reports by the deadline; however they did it within a delay of less than six months (Italy, Malta, 
Portugal and Greece). 

For  this  third  reporting  period,  Member  States  were  to  provide  the  Commission  with  their 
national reports covering shipments authorised during 2015-2017.  

National  reports  have  been  thoroughly  assessed  by  the  Commission.  Interaction  with  some 
Member States was necessary in order to clarify or complete the information. In order to provide 
an  overview  of  the  authorisations  given  Community-wide  and  to  inform  about  any  trends  or 
practical difficulties, the Commission has prepared the third Report to the European Parliament, 
the  Council  and  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  on  the  implementation  of  the 
Directive  by  the  Member  States  during  the  considered  reporting  period,  as  well  as  the  present 

20  

Commission Recommendation (2009/527/Euratom) of 7 July 2009, for a secure and effective system of transmission 
of the documents and information relating to the provisions of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom Directive. 

7 

 
 
                                                           
 
Staff Working Document. However, one Member State systematically does not report details on 
consents  (as  country  of  destination  or  transit),  and  two  other  Member  States  did  not  report  the 
return  consents  (return)  between  themselves.  However,  all  shipments  of  spent  fuel  and/or 
radioactive waste were reported and authorized (i.e. no unauthorized shipments took place during 
the reporting period). 

Considering the inconsistences and the issues showed in Sections 4.4 and 4.5, and the Member 
States  suggestions  for  the  improvement  of  the  reporting  template,  a  new  version  has  been 
developed. The new version of the reporting template with the explanations was presented during 
the XI Advisory Committee meeting.  

4. 

SHIPMENTS OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT FUEL IN 2015-2017  

4.1. 

Overview of authorised shipments  

The Directive requires shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel to take place only with prior 
informed  consent  of  the  competent  authorities  of  all  Member  States  involved,  including  transit 
Member  States21.  For  the  current  reporting  period,  19  Member  States  out  of  28  reported  on 
authorised shipments on their territory.  

The  following  nine  Member  States  did  not  report  any  authorised  shipment  on  their  territory: 
Croatia,  Cyprus,  Estonia,  Greece,  Ireland,  Latvia,  Luxembourg,  Malta  and  Portugal.  Among 
them,  six  Member  States  did  not  report  any  authorised  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  on  their 
territory  since  the  beginning  of  reporting  obligations  under  the  present  Directive  (2009): 
Croatia22, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta and Portugal. 

Overall,  146  authorisations  for  different  types  of  shipments  (intra-  and  extra-Community 
shipments)  have  been  reported  by  EU  Member  States  for  the  period  2015-2017.  The  Figure  2 
shows the number for spent fuel, radioactive waste and other material authorizations. The other 
material type corresponds to the samples of radioactive material which are shipped for analysis 23, 
the  other  material  shipments  are  considered  in  the  radioactive  waste  type  for  the  rest  of  the 
statistics presented on this staff working document (for the present reporting period 2015-2017).  

In  comparison  with  the  two  previous  reporting  periods  under  the  present  Directive,  this  is  the 
lowest number of authorisations since the beginning of the reporting obligations in 2009 (Figure 
2).  In  particular  the  number  of  authorisations  for  spent  fuel  shipments  decreased  by  50%  with 
respect to the first reporting period (2009-2011). However, as each authorization may cover more 
than one shipment, this does not necessarily indicate a change in  the number of shipments (see 
below). Moreover, this is the first reporting period, in which the number of shipments is available 
to the Commission, therefore no comparisons with previous periods are possible. 

For all 146 reported authorisations in 2015-2017, 203 consents have been issued by the receiving 
or  transit  Member  States.  Around  86%  of  the  authorisations  relate  to  shipments  of  radioactive 
waste (including other materials), 14% to the shipment of spent fuel.  

21  
22  
23  

See Article 9 of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom. 
Croatia reported for the second time since the country joined the EU on 1 July 2013. 
Spent fuel was not considered as other material even if it was shipped for research. Return of samples are considered 
as radioactive waste. The origin of the other material shipments are Sweden and United Kingdom. 

8 

 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 2. Number of total authorisations for shipments of radioactive waste, spent fuel and 
other materials. 

Each  authorisation  may  cover  more  than  one  shipment.  In  total,  1834  shipments  of  radioactive 
waste  or  spent  fuel  on  the  Community's  territory  have  been  authorised  (Figure  3).  Concerning 
specifically radioactive waste (and to a lesser extent also spent fuel), some countries tend to issue 
one authorisation for multiple shipments. For example, the United Kingdom issues authorisations 
for multiple shipments with the purpose of radioactive waste treatment. As a result, on average 
there  were  12-13  authorized  shipments  per  each  authorisation.  It  should  be  noted  that  some 
authorisations  are  given  for  several  shipments  to  be  carried  out  over  a  time  period  that  may 
exceed the period covered by the present report (2015-2017).   

Figure 3. Number of Authorizations and Shipments (spent fuel vs radioactive waste and type 
of shipments) 

9 

 
 
 
 
As  regards  the  different  types  of  shipments,  82%  of  authorisations  (and  97%  of  authorised 
shipments)  relate  to  shipments  between  Member  States:  120  authorisations  for  a  total  of  1769 
MM type shipments (Figure 3). About 12% of authorisations (2% of authorised shipments) relate 
to  exports  to  third  countries  (ME  type  shipments),  and  about  5%  of  authorisations  (1%  of 
authorised shipments) to imports (IM type shipments). One single transit originating from outside 
the  EU  and  having  a  third  country  as  final  destination  (TT)  was  authorised  during  2015-2017. 
This latter was reported by Lithuania and involved a return of rods of boiler from Belarus to the 
manufacturer in India.  

4.2. 

Intra-Community shipments (MM type) 

Concerning  shipments  of  radioactive  waste,  there  were  a  total  of  106  authorisations  related  to 
intra-Community (MM-type) shipments, out of the 125 radioactive waste authorisations reported 
for  the  present  report  (2015-2017).  Some  authorisations  are  given  for  several  shipments  to  be 
carried out over a time period that may exceed the one covered by the present report (2015-2017). 
The  MM-type  authorisations  account  for  1741  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  authorised  by  14 
Member States of origin during the current reporting period (Figure 4). 

Two Member States issued 62% of the reported authorisations for shipping radioactive waste to 
another  Member  State  (66  authorisations  for  362  shipments  from  Germany  and  Sweden,  the 
majority  for  the  purpose of  return  of  treated  waste  to  the country  of  origin)24.  As  mentioned  in 
Section  4.1,  the  United  Kingdom  tends  to  issue  single  authorisations  for  multiple  radioactive 
waste shipments, and most of these shipments are sent to Sweden and Germany for the purpose of 
treatment. 

Two  Member  States  issued  54%  of  consents  as  destination  country  for  the  intra-Community 
radioactive  waste  shipments  (Figure  4).  Germany  and  Sweden  are  the  destination  of  these 
authorisations,  since  they  have  facilities  for:  repackaging,  conditioning,  and  treatment  of 
radioactive waste. 

Figure 4. Intra-Community authorisations issued for radioactive waste shipments25                

during the reporting period (2015-2017)  

24  

25  

Two thirds of the authorisations of these two countries were for returning radioactive waste, 44 MM authorisations 
(202 shipments). 
Spain has no authorisations. 

10 

 
 
 
                                                           
About 38% of the issued authorisations for intra-Community shipments of radioactive waste (40 
authorisations) implied a transit through the territory of a Member State different from both the 
origin and the destination country.  

As  regards  the  purpose  of  all  intra-Community  shipments  of  radioactive  waste,  79%  of 
authorisations are related to the treatment of waste in another Member  State and its return to the 
country of origin26. Four authorisations concern the return of radioactive waste to the country of 
origin after (re)treatment or reprocessing of spent fuel in the United Kingdom and France.  Five 
authorisations  are  issued  for  the  purpose  of  analysis/research,  and  12  relate  to  the  return  of 
radioactive waste from the revision of primary pumps. One authorisation was issued for the return 
of a shipment which was unsuitable for receipt at the site. 

For 89% of all MM-type  authorisations the nuclear energy industry  gave rise to the radioactive 
waste  shipments  (58%  of  the  shipments).  The  remaining  11%  are  related  to  non-nuclear  power 
activities (e.g. medicine, research). About 61% of the authorisations (93% of shipments) involve 
sea ways (road/sea, road/rail/sea, or rail/sea), 28% are executed by means of road or rail/road, and 
only two authorisations involve air transport (air or road/air). 

Concerning  spent  fuel  shipments,  14  authorisations  for  28  shipments  refer  to  intra-Community 
shipments.  Member  States  of  origin  are  Belgium,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  the 
Netherlands,  Sweden  and  the  United  Kingdom.  Member  States  of  destination  are  Belgium, 
France,  Germany,  Sweden  and  the  United  Kingdom.  France  and  the  United  Kingdom  have 
specialized facilities (they received spent fuel for reprocessing during the reporting period). 

About 29% of the authorisations of all MM-type (64% shipments) of spent fuel are related to the 
(re)treatment  or  reprocessing  of  spent  fuel  in  France.  The  remaining  authorisations  are  for  the 
purpose of analysis/research or returns after examination (as for example the shipments between 
Sweden and the United Kingdom).  

Type of activity giving rise to the spent fuel is nuclear energy industry and research (about 43% 
of  authorisations  for  nuclear  industry  and  50%  of  the  shipments).  About  86%  of  the 
authorisations (93% of shipments) are executed by means of road or road/rail. The remaining 7% 
involve sea way (road/sea or road/rail/sea). 

In contrast to radioactive waste shipments, for spent fuel there were only few authorisations for 
multiple  shipments  (on  average  there  are  two  authorized  shipments  per  authorisation). 
Specifically, multiple shipment authorisations were issued by France (four authorisations) related 
to the (re)treatment or reprocessing of spent fuel.  

Extra-Community shipments (exports and imports) 

4.3. 
Concerning exports27 of radioactive waste from the Community to third countries, a total of 13 
(ME) authorisations  - representing 35 shipments  - were issued by six Member States during the 
reporting period (Table 2). Most authorisations of those exports were given by two Member States 
(Sweden  and  the  United  Kingdom).  Section  4.6  presents  the  significant  conditions  reported  by 
Member State on export criteria. 

26  
27  

E.g., (re)packaging, conditioning, and volume reduction. 
Pursuant to the Directive, exports are shipments from the authorising MS to a third country; consents by transit MSs 
are required. 

11 

 
 
                                                           
With  reference  to  imports28  of  radioactive  waste  from  outside  the  EU,  three  Member  States 
(France,  Germany  and  the  United  Kingdom)  received  radioactive  waste  from  third  countries.  In 
total, 5 (IM) authorisations for 14 shipments were issued during 2015-2017 (Table 3).  

Three imports were related to the final disposal of a third country's radioactive waste within the 
Community's territory: one single shipment from Monaco to France for final disposal in France, 
and  two  single  shipments  of  a  depleted  uranium  catalyst  from  the  Bahamas  to  the  United 
Kingdom.  France  states  that  a  significant  condition  for  authorizing  the  transfer  of  spent  fuel  or 
foreign radioactive waste to the French territory is the preliminary signing of a bilateral agreement 
with the country of origin of the radioactive waste or spent fuel. French regulation also prohibits 
the storage of foreign radioactive waste on French territory, except for those from the Principality 
of  Monaco.  The  United  Kingdom  states  that  it  allows  imports  for  disposal  only  in  certain 
circumstances  (such  as  from  developing  countries  which  do  not  have  their  own  facilities  and 
cannot reasonably acquire them). 

As regards spent fuel, a total of 4 (ME) authorisations for just as many shipments were issued by 
three  Member  States  (Bulgaria,  Germany  and  Poland)  to  export  spent  fuel  to  a  third  country 
(Section 4.6 dedicated to export criteria).  

Bulgaria  reports  a  single  shipment  of  spent  fuel  for  reprocessing  in  Russia,  and  states  that  it  is 
compliant  with  the  Commission  Recommendation  of  4  December  2008  on  the  criteria  for  the 
export of radioactive waste and spent fuel to third countries. 

Poland reports one authorisation for the export of Highly Enriched Uranium spent fuel of Russian 
origin  from  a  research  reactor.  Poland  has  signed  an  international  agreement  with  the  USA  and 
with  the  Russian  Federation,  under  the  Global  Threat  Reduction  Initiative  (GTRI),  for  the 
conversion of their Highly Enriched Uranium spent fuel research reactor (by the return of to the 
Russian Federation) to Low Enriched Uranium. 

Germany has authorised two single shipments to return irradiated alternative fuel (U3Si2-AC) to 
the USA (for research purposes).  

Two  Member  States  (Germany  and  Sweden)  received  spent  fuel  imports  from  Norway  (IM).  In 
total,  three  (IM)  authorisations  for  11  shipments  were  issued  during  2015-2017,  for  research 
purposes.  

Table 2. Exports from Member States to third countries 

Member State 

Third country 

(authorising 
and sending 
the shipment) 

(country of 
destination) 

Number of 
Authorisations 
(shipments) 

Radioactive 
waste  

/ Spent fuel 

Purpose of the shipment 
as reported by Member 
States 

BELGIUM 

SWITZERLAND  2 (8)  

Radioactive 
waste  

Return of radioactive 
waste from components 
of a primary pump (from 
nuclear industry) 

28  

Pursuant to the Directive, imports are shipments from a third country to the authorising MS; consents by transit MSs 
are required. 

12 

 
 
                                                           
Member State 

Third country 

(authorising 
and sending 
the shipment) 

(country of 
destination) 

Number of 
Authorisations 
(shipments) 

Radioactive 
waste  

/ Spent fuel 

Purpose of the shipment 
as reported by Member 
States 

BULGARIA 

RUSSIA 

1 (1)  

Spent fuel  

FRANCE 

AUSTRALIA 

1 (1)   

GERMANY 

USA 

1 (1)  

Radioactive 
waste   

Radioactive 
waste  

GERMANY 

USA 

2 (2)  

Spent fuel   

Reprocessing (from 
nuclear industry) 

Vitrified residues, return 
after (re)treatment/ 
reprocessing of spent fuel 
(from nuclear industry) 

Treatment (from 
medicine, research, non-
nuclear industry) 

Return after irradiation 
(from research) 

ITALY 

USA 

1 (3)   

Radioactive 
waste  

Treatment (from medical 
industry) 

POLAND 

RUSSIA 

1 (1)   

Spent fuel  

Return according GTRI, 
for reprocessing and 
radioactive waste disposal 
(from research) 

SWEDEN 

NORWAY 

1 (1)  

SWEDEN 

NORWAY 

1 (1)  

SWEDEN 

USA 

1  (1)   

SWEDEN 

USA 

1 (1)  

USA 

1 (4)  

UK 

UK 

Radioactive 
waste  

For research purposes 
(from nuclear industry) 

Radioactive 
waste   

For research purposes 
(from research) 

Radioactive 
waste  

For research purposes 
(from research) 

Radioactive 
waste (nuclear 
industry) 

For research purposes 
(from nuclear industry) 

Radioactive 
waste  

Treatment (from nuclear 
industry) 

USA 

1 (10)  

Radioactive 
waste  

Treatment (from non-
nuclear industry) 

13 

 
 
Member State 

Third country 

(authorising 
and sending 
the shipment) 

(country of 
destination) 

Number of 
Authorisations 
(shipments) 

Radioactive 
waste  

/ Spent fuel 

Purpose of the shipment 
as reported by Member 
States 

UK 

JAPAN 

1 (3)  

UK 

SWITZERLAND  1 (1)  

Return after 
(re)treatment/reprocessing 
of spent fuel (from 
nuclear industry) 

Return after 
(re)treatment/reprocessing 
of spent fuel (from 
nuclear industry) 

Radioactive 
waste  

Radioactive 
waste 
(vitrified 
residues, 
nuclear 
industry) 

Member State 

(authorising 
and receiving 
the shipment) 

Third 
country 

(country of 
origin) 

Table 3. Imports from third countries 

Number of 
Authorisations 
(shipments) 

Radioactive waste / 
spent fuel 

Purpose of the shipment 
as reported by Member 
States 

FRANCE 

MONACO 

1 (1)  

Radioactive waste  

For final disposal (from 
medical activities) 

GERMANY 

USA 

1 (1) 

Radioactive waste  

Return after treatment 

GERMANY 

NORWAY 

1 (1)  

Spent fuel 

For research 

SWEDEN 

NORWAY 

2 (10)  

Spent fuel 

For research 

UK 

USA 

1 (10)  

Radioactive waste  

UK 

BAHAMAS  2 (2)  

Radioactive waste  

Return after treatment 
(conditioned Radium-
containing waste)  

Treatment and final 
disposal (from non-
nuclear industry) 

14 

 
 
 
 
4.4. 

Inconsistencies in the reporting 

The overall reporting quality has significantly improved over the three reporting periods. Most of 
the Member States (23 out of 28) included Part A in the first submission of the third report, six 
Member States use Identify numbers for the shipments. There were very few mistakes in filling 
the Part B table concerning to the mode of transports and purpose of the shipments.  

Also,  delays  in  the  fulfillment  of  reporting  obligations  have  decreased,  compared  to  previous 
reporting  periods,  during  December  2017  and  January  2018,  24  Member  States  communicated 
their national report.  

  Nevertheless,  a  lack  of  homogeneity  can  be  highlighted  (the  first  two  issues  below  were 

solved in a second stage, as a consequence of an ad-hoc request from the Commission): 

o  5 Member States did not report on the implementation of the Directive (Part A of 
the  reporting  template),  and  another  6  Member  States  provided  an  incomplete 
report; 

o  10  Member  States  reported  spent  fuel  shipments  using  the  radioactive  waste 

template table (Part B of the reporting template); 

o  still some countries did not apply correctly the Directive  terminology (type code 
for  intra-Community,  import,  export  and  transient)  in  the  reporting  and  Part  B 
tables; 

o  one Member State only filled the table of Part B for MM when it is the authorizing 
country. And two other Member States did not report the return consents (return) 
between themselves. 

  Additionally,  differences  have  been  observed  in  reporting  to  the  Commission  the  correct 
technical  data  as  provided  to  Member  States  by  the  applicant  for  authorisation29.  This 
concerns, in particular: 

o  errors on the number of shipments in multiple authorisations; 

o  activities (total activities of the shipment, and maximum activities per package in 

that shipment); 

o  understanding the net weight column on the spent fuel Part B table. 

  During cross-checking between the Member States’ reports, some shipments were found to be 
missing from the reporting in some of the countries. The reasons for this kind of inconsistency 
was due to the fact that some Member States: 

o 

reported shipments from previous period (2012-2014) or for 2018; 

o  one Member State had a problem with its reporting tool (ICT system bug), another 
Member State was considering only the nuclear industry radioactive waste and not 
from  other  activities,  such  as  medicine.  Thanks  to  the  cross  checking  some 
Member States have improved their awareness;  

o  cancelled shipments. Transit Member States have not always been informed when 
shipments  had  been  withdrawn.  Also,  in  two  cases,  a  refusal  to  grant  consent 
reported by the potential receiver Member State was not reflected in the reports of 
the Member States from which the request had originated.  

29  

Section A-1 – Application for authorisation of shipment(s) of radioactive waste, Commission Decision establishing 
the standard document (see section 2.2 of this document). 

15 

 
 
                                                           
These inconsistencies were identified when cross-checking Member States' reports, due mainly to 
inaccuracy of the provided information. In this respect, it was particularly important to have full 
data sets (Table of Part B) available also from transit Member States. 

4.5. 

Issues reported by Member States when using the standard document 

The great majority of national reports under the Directive does not indicate any particular issues 
encountered in the use of the standard document. Some suggestions (from previous 2nd national 
reports  and  from  current  3rd  national  reports)  are,  however,  proposed  for  further  improvement. 
For example: 

 

to  add  a  section  allowing  for  cross-reference  to  a  previous  authorisation/consent 
whenever  the  application  for  shipment  is  linked  to  the  repatriation  of  residues  arising 
from that previous shipment. This would facilitate monitoring and provide an audit trail 
between  outgoing  shipment  for  waste  treatment/reprocessing  of  spent  fuel  and  return 
shipment(s) of resulted waste and by-products.  

 

to have a digitally editable version of the standard document. 

A  few  countries  have  also  stressed  that  it  is  particularly  challenging  to  fulfil  the  timeframe 
established by Articles 8 and 9 of the Directive, respectively on "Acknowledgment of receipt and 
request for information" and "Consent and refusal", when the application is introduced before the 
bilateral agreement between goverments is signed. On one occasion a Member State did not reply, 
creating uncertainties to the authorisation authority of the other country; finally the consent was 
given implicitly. 

Finally, a lack of consistency between the standard document and the reporting template has been 
raised  by  a  few  Member  States  (the  United  Kingdom  and  Germany),  suggesting  enhanced 
harmonisation of the information required. For example, it was pointed out that the radioactivity 
is not included in the part B-1 (Application for authorisation of shipment(s) of spent fuel) of the 
standard document; however it is requested in the spent fuel template table of Part B. In fact, the 
radioactivity level is not requested in the template table, “activity” is refering to the type of sector 
from where the waste was originated (e.g. research, commercial nuclear power plants). To avoid 
the dificulties to use the voluntary reporting template, the Commission services have prepared a 
reviewed version that was presented during the XI Advisory Committee meeting. 

Most of the modifications in the reviewed reporting template were introduced for full alignment 
with the terminology used in the standard document. Descriptions and clarifications were included 
for  all  the  data  required.  Moreover,  the  main  content  from  previous  version  of  the  reporting 
template was kept. The Member States concerns and the inconsistencies found by the Commission 
services (section 4.4) were considered during the review. The Member States are encouraged to 
include  the  authorisation  numbers  in  their  national  reports.  As  concerns  the  return  shipments,  a 
reference  of  the  original  shipment  can  be  included  in  the  reporting  template  (the  authorisation 
registration number of the original shipment). 

4.6  

Information  on  significant  conditions  required  by  the  Member  States  for 
shipment– and export criteria implementation 

Exports of radioactive waste and spent fuel to third countries fall under Articles 15 and 16 of the 
Directive. When submitting their national reports to the Commission, Member States are required 
to  indicate  any  significant  conditions  they  may  have  established  to  fulfil  the  shipment.  The 
significant conditions reported by Member States for the period 2015-2017 are presented in this 

16 

 
 
section,  and  complement  Member  States’  information  on  significant  conditions  for  the  two 
previous  reporting  periods  (see  Staff  Working  Documents  SWD  (2013)150  final  and  SWD 
(2018)4 final). 

Austria: Transit shipments are authorised only under the condition of a prior notification 14 days 
in advance. 

Belgium: The carrier(s) have to be in possession of a valid licence for the transport of radioactive 
materials. In case of import: the consignee has to be registered as importer of radioactive waste or 
spent  fuel  and  obtain  a  licence  for  the  use/disposal  of  radioactive  waste  or  spent  fuel.  The 
packaging should be compliant with Belgian regulation, including approval by national authorities 
as appropriate. 

Bulgaria: The only export activities falling under the Directive performed by Bulgaria during the 
third  reporting  period  is  a  shipment  of  spent  fuel  to  the  Russian  Federation,  for  reprocessing 
purposes. Significant conditions in this case are those required by the importing country (not an 
EU Member State). 

Denmark:  Danish  authorities  could  request  additional  information  (as  it  has  been  requested  in 
some cases). 

Ireland: Under Statutory  Instrument S.I. 86 of 2009, the Irish Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA)  will  seek  the  direction  form  the  Ministry  of  Communications,  Climate  Action  and 
Environment  in  respects  of  any  applications  it  receives,  as  to  whether  it  may  proceed  with  the 
application. EPA can as well impose any such conditions as it deems necessary on the undertaking 
carrying out the shipment, when authorising or granting consent to any shipment. 

Latvia:  In  addition  to  the  requirement  to  fulfil  the  conditions  set  by  directive,  the  Radiācijas 
drošības centrs (RDC) ir Valsts vides dienesta (VVD) regulation will require that the operator also 
takes  out  a  relevant  licence  under  the  legislation  in  force  (Cabinet  Regulation  No  752  of  22 
December  2015  on  the  procedures  for  licensing  and  registering  operations  with  sources  of 
ionising radiation). 

Luxembourg:  Under  current  legislation,  exports  to  third  countries  are  not  possible.  However, 
transfers to other Member States are not affected by this export prohibition. 

The Netherlands: Dutch legislation requires a transport licence for the transport (including import 
and/or export) of "splijtstoffen" (fissile materials and all materials containing a mass percentage 
of  0.1%  uranium,  0.1%  plutonium  or  3.0%  thorium).  In  all  other  cases  (radioactive  materials 
above exemption levels), the transport has to be notified three weeks in advance. 

4.7  

Information on significant cases of refusal to give authorisation/consent 

During  the  considered  reporting  period  four  cases  of  refusal,  concerning  applications  for  the 
transit  of  contaminated  scrap  metal,  has  been  reported  by  The  Netherlands.  The  Dutch 
Government  considered  these  transits  out  of  the  scope  of  the  Directive,  because  contaminated 
scrap metal that will be recycled is not considered, according to Dutch legislation, as radioactive 
waste.  Although  the  approvals  were  refused,  the  transits  were  carried  out  according  to  the 
applicable national regulations. 

In  addition,  the  United  Kingdom  refused  to  issue  its  consent  to  a  German  application  for  the 
shipment  of  radioactive waste  for  incineration and  final  disposal in the  United  Kingdom  (liquid 
scintillation  cocktails  containing  Tritium  and  Carbon  14).  The  United  Kingdom  only  allows 
imports  for  disposal  in  certain  circumstances  (such  as  from  developing  countries  which  do  not 
have  their  own  facilities  and  cannot  reasonably  acquire  them).  The  United  Kingdom  states  that 

17 

 
 
 
after requesting further information from the applicant, the United Kingdom competent authorities 
concluded that Germany had the capacity to dispose of this waste in its own domestic facilities.   

4.8   Member States reporting to the Joint Convention. 
The Joint Convention30 defines safety principles and requirements for management of radioactive 
waste  and  spent  fuel  in  line  with  the  internationally  agreed  safety  standards  of  the  IAEA  (in 
particular the safety fundamentals). All 28 EU Member States are Contracting Parties to this Joint 
Convention which demonstrates Member States’ commitment to ensuring high level of safety of 
spent fuel and radioactive waste – from generation to disposal. 

The  implementation  of  the  Joint  Convention,  and  in  particular  its  Article  27,  requires  Member 
States  to  report  on  transboundary  movements  and  exports  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel. 
However, the reporting period for the Joint Convention national reports is different to that of the 
reporting  period  of  this  Directive  (third  reporting  period,  2015-2017).  During  the  XI  Advisory 
Committee meeting and the written procedure, several Member States suggested that it could be 
confusing to include an Annex on the Joint Convention national reports in the reporting template. 
Accordingly, the shipment (transboundary movements) related information reported under Article 
27 of the Joint Convention (October 2014) for the 6th Review Meeting has not been included in 
this report.  

30  

The Joint Convention entered into force on 18 June 2001. It applies to spent fuel and radioactive waste resulting from 
civilian  nuclear  reactors  and  applications  and  to  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste  from  military  or  defence 
programmes  if  and  when  such  materials  are  transferred  permanently  to  and  managed  within  exclusively  civilian 
programmes,  or  when  declared  as  spent  fuel  or  radioactive  waste  for  the  purpose  of  the  Convention  by  the 
Contracting Party. The Convention also applies to planned and controlled releases into the environment of liquid or 
gaseous radioactive materials from regulated nuclear facilities. 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
5. 

HIGHLIGHTS  

Some  of  the  pending  issues  that  from  the  previous  reporting  period  have  been  addressed  with 
representatives from EU Member States during the XI meeting of the Advisory Committee held 
on 8th October 2019. On that occasion, the new version of the reporting template was presented 
and  discussed.  Several  modifications  were  introduced  in  this  template  in  order  to  achieve  full 
alignment with the terminology used in the standard document. The main content from previous 
version of the reporting template was kept.  

Besides,  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  enhance  harmonisation  and  comparability  of  the  information 
provided  by  all  Member  States  in  order  to  reduce  room  for  interpretation  and  potential 
misunderstanding.   

Additional requests for clarification raised by some Member States were tackled in the framework 
of the "Transport Study" (ref. ENER/2017/NUCL/SI2.751899) that dealt, among others, with the 
issue of shipments of radioactive waste between Member States having different clearance levels 
and  that  of  NORM.  Among  the  preliminary  conclusions  of  the  Study31  it  was  excluded  that 
different  clearance  levels  for  radioactive  waste  in  the  EU  could  represent  an  issue  for  shipment 
activities. Secondly, concerning NORM, it was clarified that all material containing NORM which 
requires  regulatory  control  and  is  categorised  as  radioactive  waste  falls  under  the  scope  of  the 
Directive 2006/117/Euratom and its shipment would be subject to its system of authorisations and 
consents; whereas NORM not considered as radioactive waste would fall outside the scope of the 
Directive.     

In  spite  of  the  positive  developments  assessed  for  some  pending  issues,  improvement  is  still 
sought for other aspects. Different approaches and interpretations to fill the reporting template has 
been  acknowledged  by  the  Commission,  with  some  Member  States  having  difficulties  to  report 
the  correct  technical  data.  These  considerations  refer,  in  particular,  to  the  reporting  of  multiple 
shipments  in  single  authorisations  (difficulties  in  reporting  the  correct  number  of  shipments  per 
authorisation).  Moreover,  the  technical  terminology  (in  particular  the  difference  between 
"shipment"  and  "package")  was  not  always  properly  reflected  in  Member  States’  reports.  The 
approach  is  uneven  also  with  respect  to  consents  for  transit  shipments,  which  are  reported  in 
details in the Tables (of the Part B of the reporting template) by the majority of  Member States 
With  exception  of  Germany  that  -  when  it  is  the  transit  country  or  the  country  of  destination  – 
provides  just  a  brief  information  in  Part  A.  Czechia  and  Slovakia  do  not  report  the  return 
shipments between them when they are the country of destination. 

In relation to important inconsistencies on the reports, the Commission recontacted some Member 
States with the request of additional clarification or further information. These exchanges brought 
new elements to the analysis. And due to the assessment carried out by the Commission, Member 
States’ awareness of reporting all shipments has been improved. However, not all inconsistencies 
were  clarified  (e.g.  transit  Member  States).  The  inconsistencies  assessed  by  the  Commission  in 
reporting  consents  and  authorisations  for  the  two  last  reporting  periods,  2012-2014  and 
2015-2017 respectively, could have produced a double counting of issued authorisations for the 
two considered reporting periods (for example, the authorisation and the consents were reported 
in different reporting periods). 

Taking  into  consideration  any  comments  raised  by  Member  States  in  their  national  reports,  the 
outcomes  of  the  analysis,  the  above  mentioned  difficulties  and  the  views  of  the  Advisory 
Committee, the Commission proposes a revised reporting template.  

31  

ENER/2017/NUCL/SI2.751899. 

19 

 
 
                                                           
The  modifications  can  include  a  common  reference  identifying  each  authorisation  (ID  number) 
that would allow easier supervision of the declarations and make it unnecessary to report on more 
technical details (activity, isotopes, etc.). 

The  revised  reporting  template  also  includes  more  detailed  instructions  on  how  to  report  on 
authorisations  per  multiple  shipments  and  explanatory  notes  clearly  defining  the  different 
relevance between authorisations and shipments, for reporting purposes. 

Moreover,  the  adoption  of  a  common  criterion  for  reporting  on  consents  given  for  transits  is 
recommended. 

These suggestions, aimed at both reducing the administrative burden (for Member States and the 
Commission)  and  allowing  more  complete  and  less  controversial  supervision  of  shipments  of 
radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  in  the  EU,  could  be  implemented  during  the  current  reporting 
period (2018-2020). 

According to Article 20 and the procedures laid down in Article 21 of the Directive, the Advisory 
Committee views on this Staff Working Document have been taken into account. 

20 

 
 
 
 
ANNEX I 

List of Competent National Authorities under Article 18 of 

Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom 

Austria 

Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism 

Directorate I/7 – Radiation Protection 

Untere Donaustraße 11 

A-1020 Vienna 

Belgium 

Federal Agency for Nuclear Control 

Security and transport department 

Import and transport office 

36 rue Ravensteinstraat 

B-1000 Brussels 

Bulgaria 

Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency 

69 Shipchenski prokhod Blvd. 

BG-1574 Sofia 

Croatia 

State Office for Radiological and Nuclear Safety 

Frankopanska 11 

HR-10000 Zagreb 

Cyprus 

Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance 

Radiation Inspection and Control Service 

Department of Labor Inspection 

12 Apellis Street 

CY-1493 Lefkosia (Nicosia) 

Czechia 

State Office for Nuclear Safety 

Division of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management 

Senovážné namesti 9 

CZ-110 00 Prague 1 

Denmark 

Danish Health Authority 

Radiation Protection 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Knapholm 7 

DK-2730 Herlev 

Estonia 

Ministry of the Environment of Estonia 

Narva str 7a 

EE-Tallinn 15172 

Finland  

Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) 

Nuclear Waste and Material Regulation 

P.O. Box 14 

FI-00881 Helsinki 

France 

Bureau réglementation et affaires techniques 

Sous-direction de l'Energie nucléaire 

Direction générale de l'Énergie et du Climat 

Ministère de l'Énergie, de l'Environnement et de la Mer (MEEM)  

Tour Sequia 

F-92055 LA DEFENSE Cédex 

Germany 

Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle (BAFA) 

Referat323 – Nukleartechnik (NSG), Radioaktive Stoffe 

Frankfurter Straße 29-35 

D-65760 Eschborn 

Greece 

Greek Atomic Energy Commission 

Department of Licensing & Inspections 

P.O. Box 60092 

GR-153 10 Aghia Paraskevi-Attiki 

Hungary 

Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority 

Ireland 

P.O. Box 676 

Fényes Adolf str. 4 

HU-1036 Budapest 

Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Environmental Enforment 

Radiation Protection Regulation 

3 Clonskeagh Square,  

Dublin 14 

D14 H424 

22 

 
 
Ireland 

Italy 

Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico 

Direzione Generale per il Mercato Elettrico, le Rinnovabili e 

l'Efficienza Energetica, il Nucleare 

Divisione V – Impieghi Pacifici dell'Anergia Nucleare, Ricerca e 

Gestione di Materiali e Rifiuti Nucleari 

Via Molise, 2, I-00187 Roma 

Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA 
– ex-APAT) 

Department of Nuclear, Industrial and Technological Risk 

Division of Nuclear Plants 

Via Vitaliano Brancati 48 

I-00144 Roma 

Latvia 

Radiation Safety Centre 

State Environmental Service  

Rupniecibas iela 23 

LV-Riga 1045 

Lithuania 

Radiation Protection Centre (RPC)  

Kalvariju st. 153, 

LT-08221 Vilnius  

Luxembourg 

Ministère de la Santé 

Division de la Radioprotection 

Villa Louvigny- Allée Marconi 

L-2120 Luxembourg 

Malta 

Environment & Resources Authority 

Hexagon House 

Spencer Hill 

MT-Marsa 

MRS 1441 

Poland 

National Atomic Energy Agency 

Portugal 

Bonifraterska 17 street 

PL-00-203 Warsaw 

Agência Portugesa do Ambiente 

Rua da Murgueira 9/9ª – Zambujal 

23 

 
 
Ap.7585 2610-124 Amadora 

Portugal 

Romania 

Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN) 

14 B-dul. Libertatii Street, Sector 5 

RO-050706, Bucharest 

Slovakia 

Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic 

Bajkalská 27 

P.O. Box 24 

SK-820 07 Bratislava 27 

(2nd Workplace)  

Slovenia 

Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration 

Litostrojska cesta 54 

SI-1000 Ljubljana 

Spain 

Subdirección General de Energía Nuclear 

Dirección General de Política Energética y Minas 

Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica 

Paseo de la Castellana 160, 6ª Planta Despacho 23 

E-28046 – Madrid  

Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear 

C/Justo Dorado Dellmans n 10 

E-28040 – Madrid 

Sweden 

Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) 

Solna strandväg 96 

SE-171 16 STOCKHOLM  

The Netherlands 

Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) 

Postbus 16001 

NL-2500 BA DEN HAAG  

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The United Kingdom  Environment Agency 

Nuclear Regulation Group 

Ghyll  Mount,  Gillan  Way 
Penrith Cumbria 

UK-CA11 9BP 

|Penrith  40  Business  Park 

(for England) The Environment Agency  

International Waste Shipments Team  

Richard Fairclough House 

 Knutsford Road  

Warrington WA4 1HT  

United Kingdom  

(for Nothern Ireland) Chief Radiochemical Inspector  

Northern Ireland Environment Agency 

Industrial Pollution and Radiochemical  

Inspectorate  

Klondyke Building 

Cromac Avenue  

Gasworks Business Park  

Belfast BT7 2JA  

United Kingdom  

(for Scotland) Radioactive Substances Unit  

Scottish Environment Protection Agency  

Strathallan House  

Castle Business Park  

Stirling FK9 4TZ  

United Kingdom  

(for Wales) Natural Resources Wales  

Waste Shipment Unit  

St Mellons Business Park  

Cardiff CF3 OEY  

United Kingdom  

25